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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28715295">Like Fire</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/lixsterr/pseuds/lixsterr'>lixsterr</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Stray Kids (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Avatar &amp; Benders Setting, Avatar: The Last Airbender References, Bang Chan &amp; Lee Minho | Lee Know are Cousins, Boys In Love, Eventual Romance, Han Jisung | Han is Whipped, Hwang Hyunjin &amp; Lee Minho | Lee Know are Cousins, Inspired by Avatar: The Last Airbender, Kim Seungmin &amp; Yang Jeongin | I.N are Siblings, M/M, Minor Lee Felix/Seo Changbin, Original Character(s), Side Ship Changlix, kind of</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 10:34:15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>14,741</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28715295</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/lixsterr/pseuds/lixsterr</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Follow Jisung in his quest to become the Avatar. A 5 chapters long journey to bring back peace, full of self-discovery, friendship and eventually love.</p><p>Minsung AU, inspired by The Last Airbender<br/>~make sure to read the MUST READ in the notes first, thank you!~</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Han Jisung | Han/Lee Minho | Lee Know, Lee Felix/Seo Changbin</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>58</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. The Journey Begins</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>MUST READ:</p><p>I loved the animated series (the movie? Meh, Appa was cute tho), so, I decided to take inspiration from it and write a little something just to amuse myself. </p><p>You’ll see that I described the bending of the elements and the subsequent fighting style differently from the series (I simplified it).</p><p>The story is also <em>quite</em> different from the original (there still will be references to it though).</p><p>For example, you’ll know that as part of their tradition Monks should shave their heads, but this is fiction... so, I imagined Jisung with his natural dark hair and showing, this way, his Avatar state like in The Legend of Korra with glowing eyes and symbols on his body.</p><p>Original characters are going to be present in the story, if their names and description match real people ones, it is completely unintentional.</p><p>If you are a fan of the series, I hope you'll understand and won't be offended by the changes I made.</p><p>With this said, if you still haven’t watched the show, I definitely recommend it!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The Southern Water Tribe was a land of ice and snow, the shadow of the thriving and beautiful nation it once was.</p><p>Jeongin was looking at the fishermen struggling to free their canoes from the thick sheet of ice that had formed during the night. Then he decided that he had listened to the sound of their useless pickaxes hitting the surface and their complaints long enough.</p><p>He looked right and left to make sure that not Seungmin or anyone else from the village was looking at him, and slid messily on the snow to hide behind one of the overturned canoes ashore.</p><p>Jeongin used his teeth to remove one of his gloves and rested his hand on the frozen river. He closed his eyes tightly to concentrate better and quickly retracted his fingers from the ice once he heard the sound of it breaking. The crack run from where he had touched the ice to where the fishermen were still working with their tools.</p><p>Jeongin smiled to himself, but then gasped in horror when he saw the ice sheet break in big chunks crashing against one another. The motion generated big water waves that hit and pulled underwater the poor Water Tribesmen. He visibly flinched, when even the fishermen who had been standing on the (now free) canoes fell into the river, when those overturned themselves.</p><p>Jeongin quickly scampered off, almost tripping on the fresh snow in his haste to hide behind the nearest village tent, when he saw Seungmin running to the fishing port. He instructed the other Water Tribesmen following him to help the unfortunate fishers, then he looked around the riverbanks shielding his eyes with both hands from the brightness of the sun.</p><p>Jeongin hid his head with a tent flap, when Seungmin's eyes scanned his hiding spot. Unfortunately, he hadn't been fast enough.</p><p>"Jeongin!"</p><p>Jeongin groaned, but decided there was no point in trying to hide anymore. He let go of the fabric and stood in front of the tent, as he waited for Seungmin to reach him.</p><p>"Seungminnie! Fancy seeing you here, this early in the morn-"</p><p>"You used your powers again, didn't you?!"</p><p>Jeongin looked down at his furred boots with sagged shoulders and Seungmin groaned in annoyance. Of course he had figured it out immediately.</p><p>"I just-"</p><p>"Why don't you ever listen to me?! What if someone from the Fire Nation had seen you? What then?"</p><p>"We'd know if their soldiers were in our territory."</p><p>Jeongin mumbled crossing his arms protectingly over his chest, still avoiding to look at the other in the eyes. Angry Seungmin was scary.</p><p>"What if we don't? It happened before, Scouts hiding in the mountains looking for Waterbenders giving themselves away and then what? Do you want to suffer the same fate? Do you want to be executed like them?!"</p><p>Jeongin shook his head resolutely, eyes glassy and fixated on the snow, while Seungmin kept rising his voice at him.</p><p>"I can't hear you, Jeongin! Do you want to end up like them?!"</p><p>"Why are you like this?! You're <em>not</em> my brother, you're <em>not</em> my family! You don't get to tell me what to and not to do! If I'm such a nuisance, then I'm doing you a favor by making it easier for the Fire Nation to find me!"</p><p>Jeongin exploded in tears, hitting Seungmin's broad chest with his fists. The older of the two was visibly taken aback by the outburst and took too much time to give some kind of reaction.</p><p>"I hope they'll kill me too, so I won't bother you anymore!"</p><p>"Jeong-"</p><p>Before Seungmin could say anything, Jeongin had already run off. He sighed heavily and kicked at one of the wood barrels closest to him in frustration with a scream.</p><p>Jeongin didn't know how much he had run, but he found himself in a endlessly looking valley of snow surrounded by tall ice mountains.</p><p>He was far off the village, enough to let it all out. He fell on the ground on his knees and screamed. And screamed again, till he didn't have no breath anymore. Then he cried and sobbed loudly.</p><p>His breakdown was interrupted by the loud sound of ice breaking. Jeongin wiped furiously the tears out of his eyes and looked alarmingly at the cracks spreading on the ice all around him like spiderwebs. He wasn't in a snow valley, he was kneeling on a frozen lake!</p><p>The ice broke in big and thick blocks floating on the cold and dark water underneath. Jeongin stood up on shaking legs and jumped on a bigger chunk that could withstand his weight. He gripped tightly at the slippery edges, when all the broken sheets of ice moved in different directions as if pushed by a current.</p><p>In the middle of the lake, where the ice chunks had parted, a big block of clear ice came to the surface making water slosh back and forth. And Jeongin had to move out of the way to not get soaked wet.</p><p>The ice block towered over him about as large as the tents in his village. Its sudden appearance in the middle of the lake had pushed the broken pieces of ice tightly close to each other, making it easier for Jeongin to reach it.</p><p>The Waterbender inspected it from every angle as he walked around it. He stopped dead in his tracks, when the less cloudy looking side of the ice allowed him to see what seemed to be the silhouette of a man inside it.</p><p>Jeongin gasped and took a couple of steps back when he noticed the big furry animal trapped in the ice with him.</p><p>"Jeongin! Jeongin!"</p><p>Seungmin's voice echoed between the ice mountains surrounding the lake, as he run desperately towards him. Jeongin quickly turned around, instinctively trying to hide what he had discovered behind his back. Pointless: the ice block was big enough to be seen miles away.</p><p>Seungmin stopped right in front of him, hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath.</p><p>"Jeongin! I was so worried! Why did you run off like that?! Don't do that ever again! You're going to give me a heart attack!"</p><p>The older scolded him and then pulled him into a tight hug, spluttering here and there when the fur on the hood of Jeongin's dark blue clothes got into his mouth. Seungmin took him by the shoulders to be able to look him in the eyes as he hurriedly kept talking.</p><p>"I'm sorry, you have to believe me! We might not be brothers by blood, but it doesn't change anything. I love you, mum and dad do too, you know that. I'm sorry if I'm too strict and if I raised my voice at you... I was just scared, okay? If you'd get hurt, I don't know what I would do. I'm just trying to protect you... okay?"</p><p>Jeongin nodded at Seungmin's words, looking at him with big innocent eyes. The Water Tribesman sighed in relief and pulled him into another brief hug.</p><p>"Now, what were you-"</p><p>Seungmin had finally noticed the big block of ice and the person trapped in it too. He waved at it with shaking hands as he looked back at Jeongin incredulously.</p><p>"No, no, no! It wasn't me, I swear!"</p><p>"Jeongin..."</p><p>"It was already like that! I'm not lying!"</p><p>Seungmin sighed in defeat and looked at the ice block with his head tilted and his arms crossed.</p><p>"Why is there someone in it, uh?"</p><p>"I don't know!"</p><p>Jeongin angrily slapped the ice block in question, when the tone of his brother's voice made it clear that he didn't believe in his innocence.</p><p>The block cracked and fell into a rain of broken ice pieces under his fingers. He closed his eyes tightly to protect them from the smaller ice shards. When he reopened them, Seungmin was hugging him tightly against his chest, shielding him with his full body.</p><p>"You okay?"</p><p>Jeongin gulped and nodded looking at the pile of ice the block had become behind their backs. The big animal that had been trapped inside was motionless under it and Seungmin didn't have the courage to go near it.</p><p>The dark haired man that had been with it, was slumped over the snow soaked in water. He was wearing brownish looking harem pants, the belt of his long sleeved tunic was undone, revealing the intricate pattern of symbols tattooed on his chest, arms and probably back. He didn't have any shoes.</p><p>Jeongin fell on his knees near the body of the stranger and tentatively reached out with two fingers to look for a pulse on his neck. As soon as he touched him, the man's eyes fell open and a strong air wave swept both Seungmin and him off their feet. It hit everything in its wake, as if a bomb had exploded and the entire world was shaking with it.</p><p>Seungmin helped Jeongin and himself back up on their feet, just in time to see the eyes of the stranger glowing a blinding white. The tattoos on his body too.</p><p>The man was in the exact same position he was before, completely unfazed by what had just happen. He gasped loudly as if he had just started breathing again, and maybe he did. The light started to slowly fade away as soon as his eyes dropped shut again.</p><p>The two looked at one another with mirrored shocked expressions.</p><p>"He needs a Healer. C'mon."</p><p>Seungmin took the stranger in his arms and brought him back to the village, Jeongin running to keep up with his fast pace.</p><p>"Is he going to be alright?"</p><p>Jeongin asked worriedly as Seungmin's mother visited the man laying down on the bed made of animal pelts in their tent. The woman with long braided dark hair hummed softly.</p><p>"He's fit as a fiddle. For someone that had been frozen in the ice, that is."</p><p>Seungmin sighed in relief looking at the peacefully sleeping stranger. The Healer patted gently Jeongin's hair and asked him to go fetch some water to make herbal tea for their unexpected guest.</p><p>The Waterbender nodded profusely and run off to do just that, eager to be of any help. Seungmin looked at his mother with a raised eyebrow.</p><p>"What is it?"</p><p>"The symbols on his skin are a dead give away of <em>who</em> he is. He can't stay. We don't have the resources to protect him from the Fire Nation."</p><p>"The Fire Nation? How could they-</p><p>"An energy release of <em>that</em> scale... it's not common. They'll know, just like every other person on the face of Earth."</p><p>Jeongin came rushing inside the tent with a pot filled to the brim with cold water. He handed it to Seungmin's mother and she caressed his cheek softly. "Thank you" she said giving him a soft little kiss on the forehead. And Jeongin felt bad for ever doubting her love for him.</p><p>Just as she was in the middle of brewing the tea, the stranger woke up with a startle. He had a hand gripping at his throat and was gasping in air as if he had been drowning.</p><p>He sat up on the bed with his messy half dried black hair covering his eyes. He pushed the strands back with a huff and then sneezed loudly, creating a wave of air that blew away the tea leaves Seungmin's mother had been crushing.</p><p>"Bless you!"</p><p>Jeongin laughed loudly from where he was sitting on top of the Healer's working table, his long legs swinging back and forth. The stranger waved his hand in his vague direction.</p><p>“Thanks-"</p><p>Then in a blink of an eye, he wasn't on the bed anymore and was perched on the big wood logs supporting the roof instead.</p><p>"Who are you?!"</p><p>The stranger screeched from up there and Seungmin's mother sighed heavily as she went back to crush more leaves, leaving it to both her sons to get the loud stranger down from the roof of their tent. Seungmin rubbed at his forehead tiredly, feeling a strong headache already forming there.</p><p>"We are friends! We are not going to hurt you, I promise! My name is Jeongin, this is Seungmin, my... brother And... this is Minjee, Seungmin's mother. She's the Healer of our village."</p><p>“And she's making you tea. So, I'd really appreciate it, if you'd get down from our roof."</p><p>Minjee said as she calmly stirred the golden liquid in the fuming pot. That seemed to do the trick and the stranger got back down, levitating slowly.</p><p>"What's your name?"</p><p>“Jisung, Han Jisung."</p><p>Jisung looked interestingly at the clothes the smiling fox looking boy in front of him was wearing. His attention was on the fading symbol of a crescent moon and wavy lines positioned over his heart.</p><p>“That's the Water Tribe national emblem... where am I?"</p><p>“You are in the South Pole. Jeongin-"</p><p>Seungmin was the one who answered his question this time. The Water Tribesman nodded pointedly to his younger brother.</p><p>"-was the one who found you. You were frozen in an iceberg of some sort in the middle of a lake. Do you... remember how you ended up there?"</p><p>“I'm not sure. I'm an Air Nomad, I come from the Southern Air Temple, I... I think that I argued with my Mentor and then I escaped with Appa-"</p><p>Jisung quickly dismissed Seungmin's confused expression with a wave of his hand. "My Flying Bison" he mumbled as an explanation and accepted the cup of tea from Minjee gladly.</p><p>“-we were caught up in a storm. Appa was hit by a lightning and I tried to break our fall by using my powers... I don't remember anything else. God,  Master Gyatso is probably worrying himself sick! I need to go!"</p><p>He downed the scorching hot tea as if it was a fresh glass of lemonade and bowed respectfully to the trio who had helped him, ready to leave.</p><p>“Jisung, wait... I think you should know something. It's best if you sit down first..."</p><p>Minjee nodded to the bed he had woken up into. Jisung half chuckled at her hesitating tone as he sat down on the mattress.</p><p>Seungmin handed his mother a big old looking tome and she rested it on her knees, as she sat beside Jisung.</p><p>“This is the story of the Avatar, their story is <em>our</em> story-" she explained, turning page after page, till she didn't reach almost the end of the book "-50 years ago, the Fire Nation attacked. The War is still going strong till this day."</p><p>Minjee showed Jisung the drawing of the Air Temples in flames. The Airbender was looking at it with horror filled eyes.</p><p>“They knew that the next Avatar was going to be born as an Air Nomad, they... it was a massacre. I'm sorry, Jisung. There were no survivors, or that's what we thought anyway. They didn't stop there. The Fire Nation has been looking for every single Waterbender and Earthbender to-"</p><p>“They execute them. Like they did to my parents."</p><p>Jeongin said looking at the carpeted floor sadly and Seungmin rested a comforting hand on his knee.</p><p>“So, you're telling me what? That all my people are dead? Is that what you're telling me?!"</p><p>Jisung chuckled incredulously. Both Seungmin and Jeongin could tell that, under the mask of bravery he was wearing, Jisung believed Minjee's words. The proofs were right in front of him after all.</p><p>“The Fire Nation thought the Avatar had died that day, we all did. And you were in that iceberg... for 50 years you've been there and survived somehow, you-“</p><p>“No! You're lying! You all are! I have to go! Now!"</p><p>He stood up abruptly and stormed off the tent, eyes glassy and sniffing soundly.</p><p>"Jisung! Wait!"</p><p>Jeongin run after him calling his name, but Jisung wasn't listening. The Airbender whistled and a loud roar answered him from the sky. The rest of the villagers were looking in awe as a big animal appeared from the clouds and landed on the snow in front of Jisung with a thud. It had shaggy white and brown fur with a long and flat tail. Seungmin counted six legs with three toes each. Despite its imposing figure and long black horns on top of its head, it still didn’t look too threateningly. Just... friendly, more like an overgrown puppy than a bison.</p><p>Seungmin gasped loudly, when he recognized in it the furry animal that had been trapped in the ice with the Avatar.</p><p>"Jisung! You can't just leave! Jisung!"</p><p>Jeongin tried again, but his pleading fell on deaf ears as Jisung mounted on the saddle strapped to the Sky Bison's back.</p><p>“Appa, <em>yip, yip</em>!"</p><p>And the animal seemed to get the command, because it took off into the air as soon as the two words had left Jisung's mouth.</p><p>Jeongin was about to call after the Airbender again, when Minjee stopped him by resting a hand gently over his shoulder.</p><p>"It's okay Jeongin, he's going to be safer far from the village, anyway. The Fire Nation will come looking for him and it's best if he won't be here when they do. If they get their hands on him... we are all doomed."</p><p>They didn't see or hear from Jisung for almost a week. Till, one morning, the Airbender didn't come down from the sky on his loyal Sky Bison as if he had never left in the first place.</p><p>Jeongin was the first one to recover from the initial shock of seeing him again. He abandoned the fishing net he had been mending and run up to him.</p><p>“Jisung!"</p><p>The Waterbender hesitated at first, like Jisung was going to fly away into the sky at any moment. But when he saw his already red and puffy eyes glaze over again, he quickly threw his long arms around the Airbender hugging him tightly.</p><p>Jisung let go of the long wood staff he had been holding and hugged the Waterbender back just as tightly.</p><p>"Oh, Jisung..."</p><p>“You were right-" Jisung sniffed, his shoulders shaking as he sobbed into Jeongin's embrace "-The Air Temple... they, they burned it down. There wasn't... Master Gyatso..."</p><p>Jisung was choking on his words as he cried and cried, grabbing at Jeongin's robes like his life depended on it.</p><p>"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry, Jisung."</p><p>The villagers were looking at the scene unfolding with sad eyes and heavy hearts. And Jeongin swore he saw Seungmin wiping away a couple of tears of his own.</p><p>"The Fire Nation is going to pay for it! Every single one of them will! I'll make sure of it!"</p><p>Jisung spat angrily, eyes now filled with determination and Jeongin mirrored his look with a nod.</p><p>“You'll have to become who you were born to be then. Besides Air, how many more elements are you able to bend?"</p><p>Seungmin asked taking a couple of steps forward and Jisung looked at him with shoulders sagged in defeat.</p><p>"We don't have a lot of Waterbenders in our village-" Jeongin pointedly nodded to a group of five children looking back at them from a little distance "-but I know a thing of two about water bending... I'm no expert, but I could teach you?"</p><p>Jisung smiled and was about to gladly accept his offer, when the alarm bells ringing loudly from the center of the village interrupted him.</p><p>“The Black Ships! The Black Ships are coming!"</p><p>A Water Tribesman shouted as he came running towards them. The chance to Jisung's revenge seemed to be closer than he had thought.</p><p>"Take the Waterbenders to the cave, quick!"</p><p>One of the villagers instructed. Seungmin was about to grab Jeongin by the arm and make him go with the others, when Minjee stopped him.</p><p>“Bring me the book, Seungmin! Go!" she looked at his son as he disappeared quickly inside their tent "Jisung, you have to leave! It's not safe for you here! Look for help in the Earth Kingdom-"</p><p>“What?! No! I want to stay! I want to help!"</p><p>“Then help us! Master all elements, stop the War, bring peace back to our lands... we'll see each other again, Jisung. I'm sure of it."</p><p>Minjee smiled softly and patted his cheek gently as if he too was one of her sons.</p><p>Seungmin run back out with the tome about the story of the Avatar as his mother had requested. And Minjee trusted it into Jisung's hands.</p><p>"Take this, use the map and go East!"</p><p>Jisung nodded firmly. He quickly picked up his staff from the ground and mounted on Appa's back with the big tome under his arm.</p><p>“You go with him-" Minjee suddenly ordered to Jeongin "-he needs a Waterbender to teach him! Go!"</p><p>Jeongin seemed to hesitate, looking between Seungmin and her panickingly.</p><p>Minjee pushed the Waterbender quickly in the direction of the Sky Bison. Jisung offered him a hand to help him up and Jeongin accepted it, still in shock.</p><p>“Take care of your brother."</p><p>Minjee said in the end and Jisung helped Seungmin up and on Appa's back too. The Flying Bison was restlessly trotting on the spot.</p><p>"<em>Mom</em>!"</p><p>Jeongin screamed alarmed as Jisung finally ordered Appa to go up and the Bison took off into the air. Minjee waved at them with glassy eyes and a gentle smile. Her heart breaking a little when she heard Jeongin calling her mother for the first time.</p><p>"Watch over them both, Jisung, please!"</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. An Unlikely Team</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Where did you get that?"</p><p>Jeongin asked eagerly pointing at the wood staff strapped to Jisung's back. The Airbender turned around on the saddle, so he was now facing Jeongin, sitting behind him.</p><p>"At the Air Temple. It was of my Mentor-" he said caressing one of its ends over his shoulder and then kept explaining "-every Air Nomad has one. I think that I lost mine during the storm... that night."</p><p>Jeongin stroked Jisung's knee to comfort him, while Seungmin's snores from the back filled the silence.</p><p>"I hope they're okay..."</p><p>The Waterbender sighed looking down at the last land of ice and snow they were passing by.</p><p>"You know, even though Appa is fast, this is probably going to be a long flight still. You could teach me some water bending in the meantime, what do you say?"</p><p>Jisung smiled encouragingly at the younger, when he saw the sadness than filled his eyes at the endless looking stretch of water they were crossing.</p><p>"I'd like that!"</p><p>Seungmin flinched in his sleep, turning his head left and right to get whatever was annoying him off his face. He opened one eye to check, but had to quickly close it again when a drop of water got in. </p><p>The Water Tribesman blinked a couple of times and used the sleeve of his well worn coat to dry his face. It came back more wet than he expected.</p><p>Another water drop hit him on the forehead and he frowned looking up to see where it was coming from. His sleep had been ruined by a water sphere that was floating and dripping right over his head. He sat up and turned around and saw there were more than one, some of them had little fishes swimming inside.</p><p>"Jeong-"</p><p>Seungmin didn't get to even call him and ask for an explanation, that Jeongin had already shushed him. His younger brother  silently pointed to Jisung, still sitting backwards on the saddle.</p><p>The Airbender had his eyes tightly closed, his brows furrowed in concentration as more water spheres flew up from the sea to stop and float over them.</p><p>"I taught him that!"</p><p>Jeongin whisper-shouted with a big exited smile on his face. Seungmin just looked in awe at the way the water reflected  the last rays of the sun so prettily. The spheres looked like shining gems.</p><p>"He learns so quickly! I've been teaching him for only a couple of hours and he's already so much better than me!"</p><p>Jeongin huffed with arms crossed over his chest. Too caught up into watching Jisung creating more water spheres, he didn't notice Seungmin reaching up to tentatively touch one.</p><p>As soon as his fingers poked it, Jisung's eyes opened and all the water spheres fell down back into the sea. All, but one: the one Seungmin had touched, landed right on top of his head, soaking him completely.</p><p>"Ops!"</p><p>The journey to the Earth Kingdom took them less than a week, during that time, Jeongin taught Jisung everything he knew about water bending. The Airbender was a fast learner and it didn't take long for the apprentice to surpass the mentor. Even going as far as being a teacher himself to the younger, when he learnt new tricks while testing the limit of his powers.</p><p>The trio landed on the first shore in sight, eager to finally be able to set foot on the ground.</p><p>Seungmin and Jeongin had to discard a good couple of layers of their clothes, when they felt how warm the temperature was in the Eastern Hemisphere. Jisung, on the other hand, seemed to be perfectly fine barely clothed as he had been in the Water Tribe too.</p><p>"It's all so... green."</p><p>Jeongin commented for lack of other words, as he looked at the forest standing in front of them. </p><p>Jisung left Appa to munch happily on the grass, near the river they had been using to freshen themselves up.</p><p>"We should look for the nearest village. I'm dying to eat something that's not raw fish right now."</p><p>Seungmin sighed patting his stomach sadly and Jeongin quickly agreed with him.</p><p>They found one not too far off where they had set up their makeshift camp, that Appa was watching (not really).</p><p>"What can I get for you, foreigners?"</p><p>All their heads turned in unison towards the lady in an apron that had spoken. She clearly had had enough of them staring and drooling in front of the menu board of her Inn.</p><p>"We don't have any money. Do you accept payment in barter?"</p><p>Jisung asked as he showed her the string of salmons he had been carrying with him.<br/>
At his side, Jeongin adjusted the crumpled collar of his tunic, when he saw that the tattoos on the back of his neck weren't completely covered. He hadn't been inconspicuous enough, the lady seemed to have already noticed. She sighed.</p><p>"This time only, alright? If you want to eat here again, you'll have to pay with actual money."</p><p>"Thank you for your kindness, Madam."</p><p>Seungmin bowed deeply, when she accepted the fishes from Jisung. The Water Tribesman elbowed Jeongin and the latter quickly recovered from his initial shock and bowed too.</p><p>Jisung, on the other hand, had already sprawled himself on the nearest booth, chatting animatedly with the owner.</p><p>"I'm Jisung, Mrs. Liu. And these are Jeongin and Seungmin. We come from the South Pole!"</p><p>"You came a very long way then. What brought you here?"</p><p>Mrs. Liu asked while giving them a plate of food and pouring a glass of fresh water each.</p><p>"Our friend here-" Seungmin nodded to Jisung, who was gobbling his food as if he was afraid someone was going to take it away from him at any moment "-he's a <em>late bloomer</em>. Only recently, we discovered that he is an Earthbender... we are looking for another one. One that could teach him how to use his powers."</p><p>"You've come to the wrong place then."</p><p>Mrs. Liu sighed as she refilled their glasses and Jisung's plate with more food. Smiling fondly when the Airbender complimented her cooking, even if he had rice all over his lips and chin, not the most attractive sight.</p><p>"What do you mean?"</p><p>"I'll pretend that I'm buying it-" she started and adjusted the other side of Jisung's tunic collar, covering the tattoos that were visible there "-The Fire Nation raids villages periodically looking for Earthbenders, they take them all away to Capital City in the Fire Islands. If there's still some in the Kingdom, then they are in Ba Sing Se preparing for the War with the soldiers the Southern Water Tribe sent to help."</p><p>"Dad must be there then."</p><p>Seungmin whispered to his younger brother sitting beside him.</p><p>"How far is it from here?"</p><p>"Three weeks on foot. Two at best."</p><p>The trio sagged their shoulders in defeat. They could still do it, if they flew on Appa instead of walking, it was going to halve the time. They had hoped to be luckier though.</p><p>"You know what, maybe there is one still around here. He works at the local Blacksmith shop, his abilities are of great help there."</p><p>"Is he able t-"</p><p>Seungmin couldn't even finish his question, looking at Mrs. Liu incredulously. The kind Inn owner nodded with a little smile. Jeongin and Jisung shared a confused look.</p><p>"We are a little lost here..."</p><p>"Lava bending. Mother told me about it. It's also written in the book-" Seungmin started to explain "-Avatar Kyoshi could mold earth into lava. It's a rare ability, only a very powerful Earthbender can do it."</p><p>Jeongin gasped in shock at the revelation. The Avatar was nodding to himself, it sounded like he had found the perfect teacher for himself, but-</p><p>"If he is that powerful, then why is he still here? Why isn't he in the Capital to become a Warrior like the others?"</p><p>"When you'll meet Changbin, you'll soon realize that he can be a stubborn little thing."</p><p>Mrs. Liu half chuckled fondly. The trio thanked her again for her hospitality and with the directions to reach the Blacksmith shop, they parted ways.</p><p>They walked around the village, taking every little thing in with avid eyes. Clothes, houses, cultures... everything was different from their respective homelands.</p><p>"Are you sure that we are going in the right direction?"</p><p>Jeongin asked his brother as he looked frowning at the suspiciously familiar looking fountain they were passing by.</p><p>"Of course I am! I was the only one listening anyway!"</p><p>"I think we're lost!"</p><p>"No, we are <em>not</em>!”</p><p>"Yes, we <em>are</em>, Seungmin! Look there's even the rock I almost tripped over before, it's in the exact same position I left it!"</p><p>Jisung snorted loudly as he listened to the two brothers arguing with each other. He tried to be useful and look left and right for anything that could help them find out their whereabouts. </p><p>He didn't see any familiar landmark, what he <em>did</em> see though, was a head of messy blonde hair quickly hiding behind a stone bench. Jisung frowned and walked towards it, leaving behind Jeongin and Seungmin, who were still bickering.</p><p>The Airbender peeked over the back of the bench with his head tilted curiously. He cleared his throat to gain the attention of the man hiding behind it.</p><p>Said man risked a glance up and, once he recognized Jisung, he turned white and went back to curl up in his hiding spot, trying to make himself look as small as possible. </p><p>"Were you following us?"</p><p>The mysterious freckled blonde froze on the spot and stood up abruptly with a loud laugh. Jisung was looking at him amused.</p><p>"<em>Me</em>? Following <em>you</em>? Of course not! What do you take me for? I was clearly minding my own business!"</p><p>The villager scoffed over dramatically, as if he was offended that Jisung could've even thought about insinuate such a thing. He crossed his arms protectingly over his slim chest, avoiding to look Jisung back in the eyes. </p><p>"Alright. Sorry I bothered you then!"</p><p>Jisung chuckled to himself and turned around about to leave and get back to his friends, when he suddenly changed his mind.</p><p>"Would you perhaps know where can we find the Blacksmith shop?"</p><p>"I knew I heard them talking about it from Mrs. Liu's Inn-" the blonde mumbled to himself, while Jisung was still there looking at him expectantly, even if he just admitted that he had been following the trio "-why do you need to go there?"</p><p>"Me and my friends need to meet Changbin."</p><p>"And why would you need to meet him, uh? Are you Fire Nation spies? What business do you have with him?"</p><p>Jisung raised his hands in a placating manner, when the blonde villager started to get a little too agitated.</p><p>"I just want to talk to him! I need a teacher and I know he's more than qualified to be one."</p><p>The blonde didn't seem too convicted by the explanation, but after a warning (that had sounded more or less like "If you touch a hair on his head, you'll have to deal with me") the blonde agreed to lead the three of them there.</p><p>"I'm Jisung, by the way."</p><p>"Felix."</p><p>Jisung and Felix reunited with the two brothers, who were now sitting beside the fountain to rest a bit. All their pointless arguing had tired them both up. </p><p>After some quick presentations, Felix showed them the easiest way to reach the Blacksmith shop. Discovering that they had indeed been walking round and round for the past hour and a half. Jeongin stuck his tongue out at his brother in retaliation.</p><p>The shop consisted in a building made of wood and stones situated in the outskirts of the village. It looked dark inside, except maybe for the furnace glowing red with boiling lava. Jisung looked at it in awe, remembering what Mrs. Liu had said about Changbin's skills being useful in the shop.</p><p>Felix instructed them to wait outside, while he went to look for the Earthbender.</p><p>"Changbinnie!"</p><p>The blonde shouted as soon as he had crossed the threshold, the hammering sound coming from somewhere inside the building stopped abruptly, replaced by a loud groan.</p><p>"Felix! What are you doing here?"</p><p>"Did you just come out of the furnace?" Felix smiled brightly as he leaned against the counter, looking at the Earthbender with big heart eyes "Because you look smoking <em>hot</em>!”</p><p>Changbin starred at the blonde with an unimpressed raised eyebrow.</p><p>"Not going to work!"</p><p>"You wound me!"</p><p>Felix pouted, collapsing dramatically against the counter with a hand over his heart. Changbin shook his head with a little fond smile on his face and went back to swing the hammer over the metal he had been trying to shape.</p><p>"There are three foreigners outside, they asked to meet you-" Felix started, when he saw Changbin looking back at him with a frown, he quickly went on explaining "-Mrs. Liu told them about you."</p><p>Changbin dropped his work and used a rag to clean up his dirty hands. He then followed Felix out of the shop, while the blonde draped himself all over his arms, reassuring him about how he was going to protect him if they were going to try and hurt him.</p><p>"I don't need protection, Lix. I <em>am</em> the Earthbender, remember?"</p><p>The trio, who had been patiently (maybe not Seungmin) waiting for the Earthbender to show up, finally got to meet in person the infamous Changbin.</p><p>The Earthbender looked younger than Jisung had imaginated. Shorter than him in height, but the brunette had an impressive physique with definited muscles to compensate. With his arms menacingly crossed over his chest, his shoulders looked broader and his biceps, exposed by his sleeveless green tunic, looked even bigger.</p><p>"Changbin?"</p><p>"In the flesh. What can I do for you gentlemen?"</p><p>Jeongin was the one giving the explanations this time. Starting from when he had found Jisung in the ice to how they had flown over the sea from the South Pole to the Earth Kingdom, just to find a teacher for the Avatar. Changbin needed to know about Jisung's identity, if they wanted the Earthbender to follow them to the Fire Islands.</p><p>"Not an option."</p><p>"Wait, what-" Seungmin looked visibly taken aback by Changbin straightforward refusal "you can't just-"</p><p>"I can. And I will. I'm not going anywhere with you."</p><p>Jisung was pulling at his hair in frustration and sounded almost desperate when he asked him "But <em>why</em>?"</p><p>"For the same reason that I'm not with the Earthbenders left at Ba Sing Se preparing for yet another conflict in this War that we're never going to win."</p><p>"That being...?"</p><p>"My place is here. With my people. Who is going to protect them, if I'm not here? So, no, I'm not coming with you. Yours is a noble cause, but you'll find a better suitable teacher in the Capitol. I'm sorry, Jisung."</p><p>After that, Changbin went back to his work, leaving the trio with mirrored shocked expressions. Felix gave them a little sad smile and followed the Earthbender inside the building.</p><p>If Changbin was stubborn, he was going to be stubborn too, Jisung decided. He stayed with the two brothers at Mrs. Liu's Inn, repaying her with little works inside the kitchen and more fishes. She reassured them about Changbin's good heart, he was bound to come around, he just needed time.</p><p>The peaceful and quiet life of the village was disrupted by the arrival of a squadron of Fire Nation soldiers. They marched on the land burning and destroying everything the local people had worked hard to build: homes, shops, fields... everything.</p><p>Changbin had left the Blacksmith shop as soon as he had heard the alarm bells ringing from the center of the village. Then he had run and joined the few villagers brave enough to go against the Fire Nation. </p><p>He stomped hard on the ground with gritted teeth, it rumbled and cracked under his boots making way for a river of lava that invested the front line Fire Nation soldiers.</p><p>Jisung had been sleeping soundly, it was Jeongin's high pitched screaming that woke him up. He almost tripped over his own feet as he run down the stairs, sliding on his tunic and pulling his staff up from the ground using his foot.</p><p>When he rushed outside the Inn, he looked in awe at the dimming red glow of the lava Changbin had bended to cool into solid rock, entrapping the red armored soldiers in front of him. </p><p>Jisung made sure that Mrs. Liu and the two brothers were safe and then run towards the Earthbender.</p><p>Changbin was juggling between shielding with earth walls the village warriors at his side and throwing earth blocks, as big as houses, towards the Fire Nation soldiers, knocking them over like pins.</p><p>Jisung used his staff to create an air vortex big enough to accommodate the dimensions of the blocks Changbin was pulling up from the ground, and used its force to fire them out like bullets.</p><p>Jeongin didn't want to stay out and watch, he was eager to help in anyway he could. So, he rolled up his sleeves and used his water bending powers to put out the fires caused by the flaming arrows shot by the soldiers in red.</p><p>More soldiers were coming from the mountains and Jisung slowly realized that this couldn't be one of the raids the village was used to. The Fire Nation must've gone all in, because they knew the Avatar was there.</p><p>Changbin had been surrounded and engaged into physical combat. He was too busy kicking and punching back twice as hard the soldiers in front of him, that he didn't notice one of the archers was aiming at his back. </p><p>Felix armed with a blunt sword, that he had stolen from Changbin's workshop, launched himself in between the soldier and the Earthbender. Just in time to deflect the arrow meant for Changbin with the weapon in his hands.</p><p>He clearly didn't have any special powers like Jisung, Changbin or Jeongin, but he had courage to spare and-</p><p>"No one touches my Binnie! No one!"</p><p>Felix attacked the archer with all his might, swinging the weapon blindly at the soldier. Even in his helm armor it was clear that the man was visibly taken aback by the screaming blonde.</p><p>Changbin, who had successfully annihilated the soldiers in front of him, with a circular movement of his index had Felix swallowed up by the ground he was on, turned into a sand vortex. The Earthbender took the place of the blonde, he pulled off the helmet of the archer and knocked his head hard against the man's one. He went straight down unconscious like that.</p><p>The Earthbender looked at the soldiers still standing as they run in retreat towards the forest. The brunette sighed tiredly, when he heard Felix screaming his name from where Changbin had carried him through the sand, all to the other side of the village square.</p><p>"Why did you do that?! I was protecting you!"</p><p>"You were putting yourself in danger! I told you already Felix, I don't need protection! You don't even know how to use a swo-"</p><p>Changbin didn't get to finish his lecture, because Felix had already thrown himself at the Earthbender, hugging him tightly. Changbin looked visibly taken aback by the gesture, Felix's mumbled "You're taking too long" made him finally move and he hugged the blonde back just as tightly.</p><p>As Jisung and Jeongin extinguished the last fires burning through the village, Seungmin helped the warriors take the Fire Nation soldiers still alive and left behind to a make shift prison they had dug in the rocks for occasions like that one. Where they were going to wait to get escorted to the Capital to be interrogated.</p><p>"I put all of you in danger, I'm deeply sorry for it-" Jisung started with a deep bow in front of the villagers reunited outside Mrs. Liu's Inn "-I think I overstayed my welcome. We'll leave for Ba Sing Se first thing in the morning. I hope that I'll be able to repay you all one day."</p><p>"Bring an end to the War and we'll call it even."</p><p>Mrs. Liu joked to lighten the mood. After all, there hadn't been any casualties for their part and all the fires had been put out before the damages could become irreparable. There was no need to be saddened.</p><p>"You defended our village, our home, like it was your own. We'll forever be grateful."</p><p>A little girl bowed deeply in front of Jisung and he felt his heart constrict in his chest at the kid gesture and words.</p><p>"You fought well today-" Changbin started hesitantly, while Felix mouthed at him to "Go on" from behind Jisung's back "you've been of great help t-"</p><p>"No. You've been of greater help to me, Changbin. You taught me a lesson far more important than earth bending."</p><p>"Uh?"</p><p>"You taught me how to be brave and strong. What's the point in having so much power, if I'm not going to use it to do good to others? I should've stayed in the South Pole and fight for them, instead of leaving like a-"</p><p>"Coward? Out of the two of us, that would be me. I <em>am</em> the coward, that's the truth.<br/>
And it took me to fight a horde of soldiers and make Felix eat sand to realize it-" Changbin started as he took a long sip from the mug of beer Mrs. Liu was distributing around the villagers with Jeongin's help "-today's attack was intended to capture you, but all the raids we've endured these years... the Fire Nation wants to wipe off all Benders but their own, so-"</p><p>"Changbin, no."</p><p>"I've been putting them all in danger all this time. Hiding behind the excuse of staying to help them, when in reality I was just wallowing because things weren't going the way I wanted them to. Doing nothing."</p><p>"It's never too late to do something. I speak from experience, I've been sleeping in the ice for 50 years-" Changbin chuckled at Jisung's choice of words "-my offer still stands, you know. What do you say? Come with us?"</p><p>Changbin nodded and raised his beer mug with a little smirk and Jisung smiled back making their glasses clink.</p>
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<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Love Burns</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"He hates me!"</p><p>"No sense! He loves you!"</p><p>"This is one way to show it then."</p><p>Changbin sighed with shoulders sagged in defeat, submitting to Appa's administrations. The Sky Bison hadn't shown much interest in the two brothers from the South Pole, Changbin on the other hand... that was a different story.</p><p>Appa licked Changbin's whole face for the last time, leaving behind long saliva strings and his dark fringe of hair wet and dishelved.</p><p>"I still don't know if I should be flattered or disgusted."</p><p>The Earthbender shook his head and kneeled near the water stream to get his face cleaned up. The sky was dark, it was still too early for the sun to have arisen. </p><p>Seungmin strapped the food supplies Mrs. Liu had prepared for them the night before to Appa's saddle, while Jeongin helped him.</p><p>Jisung was dozing off, leaning heavily on his wooden staff and Changbin rolled his eyes, splashing him with some water.</p><p>"I'm awake! I'm awake!"</p><p>"Amazing, we can leave then!"</p><p>Changbin said with fake enthusiasm as he walked towards Jeongin and Seungmin now sitting comfortably on Appa's back.</p><p>"Did you say goodbye to your boyfriend though?"</p><p>"Did I- My boyfriend, I- What?!"</p><p>Changbin spluttered, his face glowing red in embarrassment, visible even in the little light of the early morning. Jisung frowned in confusion at his reaction and shrugged, stretching his arms up and over his head with a loud yawn.</p><p>"Isn't Felix your boyfriend?"</p><p>"No! Of course not! We are just friends!"</p><p>"Oh, my bad then! You seemed close, that's why I assumed-"</p><p>"It's okay. Because I do, I do like him... but he just flirts, you know? He never actually told me that he likes me, so..."</p><p>"So, what?"</p><p>Jisung asked impatiently, already mounted on the Flying Bison's back and offering his hand to help Changbin up.</p><p>"<em>So</em>!”</p><p>Jeongin shook his head from where he was sitting behind the Earthbender and mumbled something that sounded a lot like "You are as dense as the rocks you're able to bend."</p><p>Before they could take off into the sky, loud screaming came echoing deep within the forest. They froze in alarm as the voice got closer and closer to their position.</p><p>"<em>Wait</em>! Wait for me!"</p><p>Felix screamed desperately and out of breath. Once he saw that the group still hadn't left, he sighed in relief and collapsed dramatically against one of Appa's six legs.</p><p>"Felix? What are you doing here?"</p><p>"What am I doing here?! Binnie, you were going to leave without me!"</p><p>"Of course I was! We are going in enemy territory, it's too dangerous!"</p><p>Felix gasped loudly and stood up abruptly in order to better look up at Changbin with angry squinted eyes.</p><p>"If it's dangerous for me, it's dangerous for you too! That's why I'm coming with."</p><p>"Oh no, no, no! Not an option."</p><p>"Yes, yes, yes. It's okay if you don't want to admit that you're scared. I'll be there to watch your back. I'll protect you!"</p><p>Changbin groaned, rubbing furiously at his forehead, he could feel a strong headache already forming there.</p><p>"I've told you this like a million times, Lix. I don't need pro-"</p><p>"Hop on then!"</p><p>Jisung exclaimed excitedly and helped the blonde villager up and onto Appa's back. Felix sat right behind Changbin and hugged the brunette close to his chest contentedly, ignoring his protests.</p><p>"Are you done sulking?"</p><p>Jisung asked, turning around so he was sitting backwards on the saddle. Changbin scoffed with his arms crossed in front of his chest. Felix had finally tired himself out with all his loud chatting with both Jeongin and Jisung, and was now sleeping soundly clinging to Changbin's waist like a baby koala.</p><p>"Why did y-"</p><p>"Felix has the right to fight for the people he loves, to <em>do something</em>, as much as anyone else-" Jisung seemed to be thinking about it, before adding "-and I like him."</p><p>"But-"</p><p>"I won't let any of you get hurt. That's a promise. I'm not going to lose my family again."</p><p>Jeongin smiled brightly at him from where he was leaning on Seungmin's chest ready to take a nap too, like his brother was already. And Changbin, looking into Jisung's eyes sparkling with determination, trusted him. </p><p>They landed on the Black Cliffs far enough from the Capital, in order to not get spotted by the watchtowers that surrounded the walls of the Royal Palace or by the Fire Nation scouts patrolling the village around it.</p><p>The natural secluded bay surrounded by a forest of tall trees was the perfect hideout for the group. They got closer to the Capital by foot, even if it took them longer than flying. It was just too dangerous and they couldn't risk it.</p><p>Changbin used the time they spent setting up and break camp, as they advanced on the land, to teach Jisung how to earth bend. Something that he couldn't have done while flying on Appa. And Jisung took to it like a duck to water.</p><p>"So, what do you think?"</p><p>"You're... <em>great</em>.”</p><p>Changbin was at loss of words. The Avatar shook the earth armor, he had created around himself all on his own, off himself like it weighted nothing, going back to summon tall pillars from the ground. He laughed loudly when Seungmin ended up on top of one of them and couldn't come down.</p><p>The Earthbender looked at Jisung's display of power in awe, he had learned in only a couple of hours, what had taken Changbin years to master.</p><p>"When are you going to teach me that trick you used on Felix with the sand and everything? It looked so cool!"</p><p>They settled on a clearing close to the Fire Nation village, taking turns to stand guard and watch for a way to get them in. The most inconspicuously looking of them all had been Felix, with his tunic in different shades of browns, and he was the one trusted with the task of getting them new clothes in the Fire Nation colors.</p><p>"Got 'em!"</p><p>The blonde exclaimed with a big and smug grin plastered on his face as soon as he was back. The money he had stolen while walking around the busy street of the local market, hadn't been enough to buy clothes for all of them, but it had to do. </p><p>Changbin and Seungmin were the ones designated to accompany Jisung in his search for the last teacher needed, while Felix and Jeongin stayed behind looking out for their supplies and after Appa.</p><p>They had been asking around all day about the Firebenders whereabouts, but the answer was always the same: there weren't any in the village, they were all at the Palace serving in the Royal Guard.</p><p>"Three out of four isn't so bad. Why can't we just give it up and wait for the arrival of the Earth Kingdom army?"</p><p>"Jisung needs to learn how to bend all four elements, if he wants to get into the <em>Avatar State</em>!"</p><p>"Well, we're doomed then."</p><p>While Changbin and Seungmin argued about what was the best course of action to find Jisung a teacher, a movement caught the Airbender's attention. He looked over Changbin's broad shoulder and saw a black cloaked figure walking down the street.</p><p>With elegant and light as air footsteps, it moved around the crowded place as it was just a mere shadow. </p><p>There didn't seem to be anything special about it, if not for the red sparkle Jisung had seen appear on the wrist of the stranger for only a second. </p><p>The Avatar had to blink a couple of times to get back to his senses, maybe he had imagined it? </p><p>But when he looked back to where the concealed figure had been, the red paper lanterns the old woman had been struggling to light up, were now alight with vivid flames inside.</p><p>The Airbender gasped and quickly shook his head to recover from the stupor. No, he couldn't have imagined it. Only a Firebender could do that.</p><p>He looked for the stranger among the people filling the market street and spotted them.</p><p>"So, what is your plan exactly? To kidnap a Firebender from the Royal Guard and then what? Convince them to help us? Oh, please."</p><p>"Not convince, <em>threaten</em>!”</p><p>Jisung left behind his friends still bickering like an old married couple and followed the Firebender. He mumbled excuses here and there when, in his haste to not lose the mysterious stranger among the crowd, he bumped into villager after villager.</p><p>Before he knew it, Jisung was running to keep up with the Firebender's fast pace. Right when he thought he had lost them, the Airbender spotted out of the corner of his eye a dark shadow disappearing in an alley.</p><p>Jisung didn't think too much about it and followed close. He didn't get to even fully round the corner, that someone had him already pinned on the stone wall. Arm bended painfully behind his back and face squashed against the hard bricks.</p><p>"Who are you?"</p><p>A voice spoke right into Jisung's ear making him shiver. It was so light and melodic, it remembered him of the wind chimes that jingled when the air blew through them in the Air Temple. It reminded him of home.</p><p>It clearly belonged to a  young man and Jisung struggled a little against the hold the stranger had on him to try and get a glimpse of his face. He didn't get any luck, because it was still covered by his black hood.</p><p>"Are you deaf? I asked you a question. Who are you?"</p><p>"Jisung! That's my name!"</p><p>"Why were you following me, Jisung?"</p><p>Jisung hissed loudly through gritted teeth, when he felt the man twisting his arm around painfully.</p><p>"Do I have to repeat myself again?"</p><p>"No, no! I heard you! I wasn't following you!"</p><p>The man let go of him abruptly with a loud laugh and Jisung felt his stomach doing some weird thing inside. Maybe he finally fell ill, Seungmin had told him he should wear heavier clothes. ("And shoes!")</p><p>"Right, of course you weren't!"</p><p>"Look, I'm sorry! I just... I saw you befo-"</p><p>"What?!"</p><p>The man sounded alarmed and Jisung wanted nothing more than to reach out and pull the hood down to see the face hiding under it.</p><p>"No, you didn't."</p><p>"Yes, I did!"</p><p>"Look, if you value your life, you'll agree with me on this one. What is it that you want? Money?"</p><p>Jisung frowned, confusion written all over his face. He shook his head profusely, while the other went on and on with his listing. Just, what was he talking about?</p><p>"I don't want anything. I'm looking for a teacher."</p><p>It was the stranger's turn to be confused, at least, that was how he looked with his head tilted to the side.</p><p>"I'm a Firebender too, I just... I found out recently and I need someone experienced to help me learn how to control my powers-" Jisung explained, offering the half truth-lie story he had agreed on with his friends, then his frown deepened "- but all Firebenders are serving the Fire Lord apparently. Wait... why aren't <em>you</em> in the Royal Guard?"</p><p>"Prove it first."</p><p>"What?"</p><p>"I'll answer your question, if you prove me that you're really a Firebender."</p><p>Jisung looked visibly taken aback by the request, after all, he had never even thought about trying to bend the element without any help. He looked up from his shaking hands to the red paper lanterns hanging to the house roof nearest to them. He reached out with a hand and concentrated on one of them with all his might, but nothing was happening. </p><p>"Anytime within the day would be great, you know."</p><p>The man half huffed, tapping his black leather boots impatiently on the ground. The sarcastic tone and sassy attitude the Firebender was displaying, made Jisung's blood boil with anger. </p><p>"I'm trying!"</p><p>"Maybe you're not trying enough."</p><p>And that was the last straw. He gritted his teeth and closed both hands into two tight fists to avoid punching his probable new teacher in the face. Said man gasped loudly looking at the paper lantern that had bursted into flames.</p><p>Jisung was surprised too, did he really do that? The Firebender in front of him with a wave of his hand extinguished the fire that was about to burn down the whole string of lanterns.</p><p>"Okay, I believe you-"</p><p>The stranger started, head slightly tilted to look at something just over Jisung's shoulders. The Airbender quickly turned around to check if Seungmin and Changbin had caught up with them, but he saw a couple of red and black armored soldiers instead. The couple was scanning the crowd from one of the raised porches all the village houses were provided with.</p><p>"-look, it was lovely meeting you, but I really can't stay."</p><p>"Wait! Will you help me?"</p><p>Jisung desperately held the Firebender back by the sleeve of his black cloak, before he could leave. It didn't took long for the stranger to agree, he seemed to be in a hurry to go, since the guards had appeared on the street.</p><p>Jisung had thought for a second that, maybe, they were looking for him, but he had been wrong. Because once the Firebender had walked away, they started to follow the cloaked man, keeping at a good safe distance.</p><p>The Airbender debated with himself on whether if he should help his new teacher or not. But before he could do anything, he too, like the armored soldiers, was left visibly taken aback when the Firebender had just disappeared in the sea of people completely.</p><p>The Firebender had instructed Jisung to meet him the next morning in that exact same alley the Airbender had tasted Fire Nation stone bricks. </p><p>"You trust too easily."</p><p>Seungmin had shaken his head in disapproval when Jisung explained to his friends about the encounter with his new teacher. In the end, they decided to have Changbin follow the Airbender just in case.</p><p>The Earthbender was observing Jisung from a distance, when one minute his friend was there and the next just wasn't. Jisung was going to get an earful from him, once he went back to camp that night.</p><p>The mysterious Firebender had taken Jisung to the city outskirts near the bank of the Jang Hui River, the place where they were going to meet from then on for their lessons.</p><p>"Can I know your name at least?"</p><p>"My name? Ji... hoon."</p><p>"Jihoon?"</p><p>Jihoon had nodded and only when Jisung had reassured him that his friend hadn't followed them, the Firebender finally showed his face.</p><p>Jisung felt his breath run short as soon as his eyes landed on Jihoon's face. The Firebender was to die for: all sharp features and sun kissed skin, a pointy nose with a cute little mole on one side and dark brown cat like eyes framed by little red and gold gems.</p><p>Jihoon flushed red in embarrassment under all Jisung's blatant staring. He run a hand through his dark brown short hair, parting neatly the longer strands on his forehead with his jeweled fingers.</p><p>"Why are you looking at me like that?"</p><p>The Firebender seemed to be slightly annoyed with him. Jisung's eyes fell automatically on Jihoon's pinkish lips that were pouting in displeasure.</p><p>"You're so pretty."</p><p>That made Jihoon flush as red as the robes he was wearing under the black cloak and the Firebender mumbled a barely audible "Thank you" under his breath.</p><p>"You never answered my question, you know. Why aren't you in the Royal Guard?"</p><p>"Not everyone in the Fire Nation agrees with what the Fire Lord is doing..."</p><p>They saw each other regularly after that and, once he had assessed that Jihoon wasn't a threat to Jisung, Changbin stopped to spy on the couple from behind the trees. Truth was, the Earthbender was just tired of listening to Jisung's awkward attempts to flirt.</p><p>Jisung talked a lot (nothing weird about that) and making Jihoon laugh was the best part of their lessons if you asked him. He had opened up a little about himself, trying to get Jihoon to do the same. With his clipped and sometimes vague answers, the Firebender remained a mystery to him still.</p><p>Their meetings proceeded slowly without much of an improvement: Jisung just didn't seem to be able to even start a simple campfire without risking to burn down the entire forest.</p><p>The Airbender pulled at his hair in frustration, leaving it to stick messily in different directions. Jihooh was the one to lightly comb it back in place. Jisung took one of the other's smaller hands in his gently.</p><p>"Thank you for being so patient with me."</p><p>"Just don't give up, alright? We all learn things at our own pace, maybe you just need more time."</p><p>And Jisung wanted to tell sweet Jihoon so badly that he didn't have the luxury of <em>more time</em>. With the next battle around the corner, he had to be ready as soon as possible.</p><p>"Or maybe, you just need a better teacher."</p><p>"No! You are perfect!"</p><p>Jisung held onto Jihoon's hand squeezing it reassuringly, making the Firebender chuckle lightly.</p><p>"I think I like you."</p><p>"I think I like you, too."</p><p>The Airbender looked up from their now intertwined fingers to Jihoon's pretty face and as if pulled by some kind of magnetic force, he got closer to him. Their lips were only a couple of millimeters apart, when chaos erupted.</p><p>Fire Nation soldiers ambushed them, they had been too caught up in one another that they hadn't noticed they had been followed. The guards immobilized Jisung making him kneel on the ground. No matter how much he struggled against the chains binding his arms behind his back, their hold just didn't budge.</p><p>"What are you doing?! Let him go!"</p><p>Jihoon started to order the soldiers around. The guards looked troubled and the Firebender took matters into his own hands, trying to unlock the chains himself.</p><p>The Airbender was about to tell Jihoon to just leave him, run away and find help, when a tall man appeared. He too was wearing an armor in the Fire Nation colors, but, unlike the others, his own had golden inlays all over it. He clearly was a man of importance. And Jihoon froze under his piercing stare. "General Kim" he mumbled under his breath.</p><p>"Crown Prince Minho. So, that's what you've been up to during your escapades."</p><p>Crown Prince? Minho? Jisung frowned in confusion, looking at Jihoon for an explanation, but the Firebender couldn't even look at him in the eyes.</p><p>"Why are you arresting him?"</p><p>"He matches the description of the Airbender seen in the Earth Kingdom."</p><p>General Kim nodded to one of his soldiers and the man wordlessly pulled down the collar of Jisung's kimono, enough to show the tattooed skin of his shoulder.</p><p>"You brought us to the Avatar. Your father is going to be very pleased."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>MINHO JOINED THE PARTY !!!</p><p>(His make up was inspired from the one he wore for the <a href="https://twitter.com/lixsterr/status/1360329262931341318?s=21">God’s Menu M/V</a>, that we were UNFAIRLY, might I add, robbed of.)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Grand Escape</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"You lied to me."</p><p>Jisung said to the darkness that surrounded the cell he was locked in. One would think in the Fire Nation region all would be dry and warm, but behind the bars on his prison it was just humid and cold.</p><p>"You too, Jisung."</p><p>Answered the cloaked figure in the corner, where the moon light coming from the little window in the room couldn't reach.</p><p>"<em>I</em> didn't lie about my name, at least."</p><p>Jisung half chuckled from where he was crouched against the wall. When the other didn't say anything, he kept talking. </p><p>"Why didn't you tell me you were the Crown Prince?"</p><p>Silence.</p><p>"I'll tell you why, because you <em>knew</em> who I am and you wanted to be the one to hand me over to your father!"</p><p>He spat feeling anger boil under his veins, the more he thought about how stupid he had been for befriending the Firebender. For a moment, Jih- Minho had him believe that there really was good in the Fire Nation, that not all of the people were to blame for what the Fire Lord had been doing.</p><p>"I trusted you, <em>Minho</em>!"</p><p>Jisung shouted as he tugged at the shackles attaching both his wrists to the brick wall behind his back.</p><p>"If you did, you would've told me that you were the Avatar. You didn't."</p><p>The man hiding in the dark took a step closer to the cell, the little light in the room illuminating part of his face. Dark chocolate eyes reflecting it, like silver flames dancing in an endless sea of darkness. The gems framing them were twinkling like little stars on his skin.</p><p>"I lied about my name, alright. But I did it, because... here at the Palace, besides my cousins, people talk with me, only because they fear for their lives if they don't."</p><p>Minho sighed heavily gripping the bars in two tight fists and went on explaining.</p><p>"And when I met a Firebender, who needed help to learn. When I met <em>you</em>, I thought it was my chance to make a <em>real</em> friend for the first time."</p><p>"What else did you lie about then?"</p><p>"I didn't lie about <em>not</em> knowing who you are!"</p><p>His knuckles turned white as his hold on the metal tightened, the material under his fingers glowing red and smoking, close to melt. Jisung flinched when Minho raised his voice, hearing it booming through the walls of the dungeon.</p><p>The Fire Prince rested his forehead against the cold bars, holding his eyes tightly closed as he collected himself back together.</p><p>"I didn't lie about my feelings either."</p><p>Minho said in the end, words coming out in a whisper. He was looking back in Jisung's eyes as he spoke, trying to convey his sincerity through their eye contact.</p><p>"It's pointless now, isn't it?"</p><p>Jisung couldn't stand Minho's intese stare, so, he stubbornly fixated his eyes on the brick wall to his left. Then a jingling sound filled the silence of the room and Jisung looked up just in time to see Minho fumbling with the door.</p><p>"What are you doing?!"</p><p>He squeaked in alarm, as the Crown Prince entered the cell and used the bunch of keys, that he was holding, to unlock his chains.</p><p>"What does it look like to you?! I'm taking you out of here!"</p><p>Jisung looked first at the hand offered to him and then at Minho's face as if he had grown two heads. The Firebender huffed and took matters into his own hands, he grabbed Jisung's arm and yanked him up.</p><p>"We don't have much time! We need t-"</p><p>Hurried footsteps were echoing through the hallway leading to the cells. Jisung froze and Minho looked panicked at the soldiers coming their way.</p><p>"It's the Crown Prince!"</p><p>One of them said, confusion evident in his tone, while the other had his fingers hovering tentatively over the sword strapped to his belt.</p><p>Minho used their hesitation to his advantage and attacked. With a flick of the wrists his hands were on fire and he sent waves of flames to the soldiers way.</p><p>"Your Highness!"</p><p>The two used their arms to block the attack and protect their eyes. Finally, it seemed to dawn to them that, royal blood or not, Minho was helping the prisoner to escape and they had to fight back. </p><p>Minho jumped and Jisung looked raptly as flames followed his movements like a shadow. He kicked the one going for his spear in the chest hard, making the man fly across the room and crash on the stone wall, subsequently falling unconscious on the floor.</p><p>The second soldier was preparing to attack Minho at the back. Jisung was about to intervene, but the Prince, with one last and precise aimed kick, had the man following his companion.</p><p>Minho took the wooden staff strapped to the wall and threw it to its original owner. Jisung grabbed it instantly, still looking at the Prince incredulously.</p><p>"C'mon! They're going to send more of them! I need to get you out of here!"</p><p>Minho said adjusting hurriedly the dark hood, that had fallen during the fight, back over his head. Jisung followed silently, as the Prince led the way through the dungeon, still trying to grasp the reality of what had just happened.</p><p>"Why are you helping m-"</p><p>Minho pushed him against the wall, covering his mouth with a jeweled hand as more guards came running down the hallway. Only when they took a different turn he let Jisung free.</p><p>"I'm not a liar, I'm proving it to you."<br/>
The Prince whispered looking at the Avatar with determination. They were close enough for Jisung to feel the heat emanating from the other. He couldn't help himself when his eyes automatically went to Minho's pink lips. He was about to lean in and close the little distance separating them, when-</p><p>"Not the place or time for it."</p><p>Minho half chuckled as he pulled back and went to check if the coast was clear. Once even the last guard of the unit sent in the dungeon had run past their position, he nodded for Jisung to follow.</p><p>They had almost made it outside when two men blocked their path to the palace doors. The first one was tall, with long white blonde hair styled into intricate braids embellished by golden rings. The other one was a shorter, but muscled, brunette with a red scar on his left eye.</p><p>"Minho?"</p><p>The second one asked tentatively as he studied the cloaked figure beside Jisung.<br/>
Both men were wearing blood red robes with gold details, the Fire Nation symbol proudly shown on their chests. The clothes were slightly different from Minho's, but it was clear as day that they were royalty too. </p><p>Minho sighed heavily and pushed the black hood back over his shoulders.</p><p>"Chan... Hyunjin."</p><p>"What are you doing?"</p><p>The man with the scar, Chan, asked him with an arched brow. Hyunjin at his side was looking at the scene with a confused frown.</p><p>"I'm taking Jisung away. If you stand in my way, I won't hesitate to fight you too."</p><p>Minho nodded towards the doors the two were still in front of. </p><p>"Even if we let you get out, how are you going to fight the army waiting outside on your own?"</p><p>Chan tried to reason, holding up his hands in a placating gesture, and took a step forward.</p><p>"I'll die trying, if that's what it takes."</p><p>"Why are you doing this?"</p><p>Hyunjin spoke for the first time since he had appeared. Jisung looked between the three, following their debate like in a tennis match.</p><p>"You know better than me that this can't go on like this. This madness must be stopped. I'm not afraid of doing what's right."</p><p>The silver haired man didn't look too satisfied by the answer, but didn't comment further.</p><p>"I'm sorry, <em>cousin</em>. This is treason. You know I can't let you go."</p><p>Chan said as a sphere of flames formed in the open palm of his hand. Jisung gasped in surprise, but he quickly recovered and took hold of his staff tightly. </p><p>Chan was a Firebender too, but he should've expected it, he was a royal like Minho after all. Hyunjin was probably one too.</p><p>"Fine with me."</p><p>Minho said through gritted teeth and with both hands now on fire, he took the last couple of steps forward that were separating him from Chan.</p><p>Jisung didn't know who moved first, but one moment the two were face to face busy in a staring match and the next they were at each other throats. </p><p>He averted his eyes from the pair, they were moving too fast for his eyes to follow, and looked at the third royal in the room, Hyunjin.</p><p>The man had been in front of the door since Chan and Minho had started their fight. He didn't seem intentioned to join them anytime soon. </p><p>Once he made eye contact with Jisung though, he decided to move. In a few long strides he was in front of the Avatar. Flames covered both his exposed arms, from the elbow down to the tip of his fingers. He too was a Firebender. Jisung had been right.</p><p>Hyunjin lunged forward to attack and Jisung quickly spinned his staff in front of him to block him. The movement of the weapon helped to create a whirlwind of air in front of him. </p><p>The Firebender had both arms crossed protectingly over his face, the fire on his hands had blown out like a candle. Despite having both feet well planted on the floor, Hyunjin started to slide backwards under the force of the air.</p><p>Jisung wasn't able to blow him as far as he wanted to, so, he resorted to trip the Firebender by using one end of his staff.</p><p>Hyunjin fell on his back with a groan and sat up looking at the Avatar with murderous eyes.</p><p>"Sorry not sorry!"</p><p>Jisung smiled innocently at him and hit the floor with his weapon making a stronger air wave sweep Hyunjin away. He waved at him as he was blown out through the big doors of the palace.</p><p>One down. One more to go. Jisung looked to where Chan and Minho were still fighting. It was clear that the Crown Prince was holding himself back, he didn't want to hurt his cousin. Chan seemed to be doing the same, pulling off every trick up his sleeve to avoid direct contacts.</p><p>Chan blew on the flames burning on his right palm as he turned around Minho. A snake of fire encircled him, getting smaller by the second, as if it wanted to crush the Prince with its coils.</p><p>Before Jisung could rush to help him, something came crashing down from the sky and through the roof. He rolled out of the way before he could've ended up crushed. He coughed and shielded his eyes from the cloud of dust that had arisen. </p><p>A loud roar echoing through the Palace walls made Jisung cover his ears with a hiss. The Sky Bison snorted as it got back on its six legs, shaking roof debris off its back.</p><p>"Appa?"</p><p>"Jisung! C'mon! We have to go!"</p><p>Jisung smiled relieved, he had never been more glad to see Changbin's face than he was at the moment. The Earthbender was strapped securely on the saddle on Appa's back. Loyal Felix sitting behind him and offering Jisung a hand to help him get on.</p><p>The Avatar looked at his friends and then at Minho who was using a wall of flames to keep Chan back.</p><p>"Jisung! We have to go!"</p><p>Felix insisted, about to dismount and load Jisung himself on the Bison.</p><p>"I'm not leaving without him!"</p><p>He shouted back and used his staff to jump over Appa, that was taking up quite a lot of space in the Throne Room, and run towards Minho.</p><p>"Jisung what are you doing?! Go!"</p><p>"Not without you!"</p><p>Chan groaned from the other side of the flames and cut through them using a stream of waves of fire, that Jisung quickly protected both him and Minho from with an air shield.</p><p>The Firebender was quick to react and used a fire whip as a counter attack. Jisung didn't see it coming fast enough, he used his staff to fend the strike directed to himself, but not the one to Minho. The Prince fell down like a rag doll and both Chan and Jisung looked at it happening as if in slow motion.</p><p>Chan looked horrified, his hesitation gave Jisung the time to blow him harshly against the wall with a swift movement of his staff. He kneeled carelessly at Minho's side, picked him up and, using his weapon as a pole vaulter would've, hoisted both of them on Appa's back. </p><p>"Appa, <em>yip</em>, <em>yip</em>!"</p><p>He ordered to the Sky Bison, even before he was seated on the saddle, and Appa, with a loud roar that made the floor shake, listened.</p><p>It used a flick of its long furry tail to knock back the Fire Nation soldiers who were rushing inside the palace, and then soared high into the air.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Fun fact: this was the first chapter I wrote for this story (the others weren’t supposed to exist, but I’m glad that I wrote them too)</p><p>MAMA 2020 has been a big source of inspiration for this one!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. On The Road To Peace</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When Minho came back to his senses, it was to the rustling sound of leaves blowing in the wind and the gentle one of the flowing water in a stream.</p><p>He blinked a couple of times to adjust his eyes to the scattered sunlight filtering through the trees. He was clearly in a forest, maybe the one surrounding the village, where he used to meet with Jisung t-</p><p>Jisung. Where was he? Minho was suddenly more awake. He quickly sat up with a painful groan, a hand going automatically to grab where he was hurting. Under the unknotted kimono he was wearing, there were bandages going all around his abdomen. Someone had medicated his wounds, where Chan had hit him.</p><p>"Hey, he's up!"</p><p>He heard someone call near him and Minho looked in the direction the voice had come from in alarm. The man was sitting on a big tree log, staring back at Minho with his head tilted. The blue and silver robes he was wearing, suggested that he was from the Water Tribes.</p><p>Minho didn't know him and Jisung was nowhere to be seen, he felt himself panicking as he patted his belt for his sword. His fingers came out empty and he looked everywhere around himself for his weapon.</p><p>"Looking for something?"</p><p>The Water Tribesman asked and Minho's head snapped in his direction just in time to see the sword, he had been looking for, strapped to the man's belt.</p><p>Right when he was about to demand him to return it, Jisung rushed to his side holding a steaming bowl in his hands.</p><p>The Avatar almost spilled the hot liquid in it on Minho as he kneeled on the grass.</p><p>"You shouldn't be sitting up already! You're hurt!"</p><p>"Jisung, who-"</p><p>Minho tried to ask, looking at the now empty log the Water Tribesman had been sitting not long ago, but Jisung didn't let him finish.</p><p>"Seungmin is with me, he's a friend. Don't worry. You'll meet everyone once you've eaten."</p><p>Jisung reassured him as he blew on the soup in his hands to cool it down enough for Minho to eat it. The air stream was strong enough to ruffle the Prince's hair too.</p><p>After being spoon fed his lunch, Jisung helped him up, careful of his injuries.<br/>
Minho smiled tight lipped trying to reassure the Airbender, even if the burnt skin on his chest was hurting him like hell.</p><p>Jisung took him around their makeshift camp and true to his words introduced Minho to his companions.</p><p>"That's Seungmin, you met him before. He's from the Southern Water Tribes, along with his brother, Jeongin."</p><p>The Airbender explained as he pointed to the couple. Seungmin was leaning against a tree trunk with his arms crossed over his chest, Minho's sword still with him.</p><p>A boy with dark raven hair was sitting in front of Seungmin. Their robes were the same color, but unlike his sword thief who looked at him with distrust, he wasn't. Jeongin was waving at him with a big toothy smile on his face, his eyes disappearing into two cute crescent moons.</p><p>Minho smiled gently and waved, although<br/>
a little less energetically, back at him. Jisung pulled at the sleeve of his kimono to get his attention and pointed to another young man.</p><p>"This is Felix, from the Earth Kingdom."</p><p>The long sleeved brownish tunic the freckled blonde man was wearing, gave that away. Felix gave him a two finger salute from where he was crouching in front of a boiling pot on the burning embers of the campfire.</p><p>Then Jisung turned him by the shoulders to where the fourth of his companions was, sitting on a log and eating his bowl of soup with gusto. The man was wearing a sleeveless light green tunic showing off his broad shoulders and muscled arms.</p><p>Behind him a big furry animal was huffing as it munched on a pile of apples happily.</p><p>"The animal eating there, that's Changbin. And the fluff ball is Appa."</p><p>Changbin snorted loudly at Jisung's presentation. He mumbled something under his breath and then shook his head going back to his lunch.</p><p>Minho walked quietly towards the Sky Bison and tentatively reached out with a hand to pet it. Appa didn't seem to be bothered by him, still busy with his fruits.</p><p>"He loves it when you scratch him behind the ears."</p><p>Jisung was looking at both of them with a fond smile on his face. Minho decided it couldn't hurt to give it a try and moved his fingers behind the Bison's ears and scratched the fur there. </p><p>Appa stopped eating all of a sudden, it closed its eyes and leaned towards Minho's hand to be petted. Jisung was quick to gently pull Minho back by the waist, before Appa could crush him when it fell on its side. It rolled on its back looking at Minho expectantly with its big tongue hanging out of its mouth.</p><p>"He wants you to rub his belly, like this."</p><p>Jisung chuckled and took Minho's smaller hand in his, resting it softly on Appa's stomach. The Firebender run his jeweled fingers through the shorter dark brown fur and the Bison snorted happily going limp against his ministrations.</p><p>"I've never seen a real Flying Bison before, only pictures in books."</p><p>Minho giggled and looked at Jisung with happy shining eyes. The Firebender had to quickly look away with a blush, when he saw the fond look Jisung was giving him.</p><p>"Changbin and Jeongin are my teachers... sort of. For earth and water bending."</p><p>Minho looked at him with surprise evident in his eyes and Jisung nodded with a little smile. The Firebender gulped as he turned to look at the Benders Jisung had mentioned.</p><p>"So, there're still-"</p><p>"Yeah, the Southern Water Tribe was able to hide a few of them."</p><p>"I'm so-"</p><p>"You're not to blame for your father's crimes. I'll fix it. <em>We</em> will."</p><p>Jisung said determinately taking both of Minho's hands in his own. He squeezed them gently but firmly to make the Crown Prince look back at him.</p><p>"How?"</p><p>"I'll become who I was born to be. But I still need your help, you know. I have to learn how to fire bend first."</p><p>The Avatar half chuckled and Minho  intertwined their fingers together, making their hands swing back and forth in front of them.</p><p>"Okay then, when do we start?"</p><p>The next day, Felix had put together a pile of dry leaves and wood sticks for their fire camp. Minho could've easily turned it on with a flick of his wrist, but the Firebender was waiting for Jisung to do it instead.</p><p>"I can't!"</p><p>Jisung groaned for the umpteenth time that morning, since they had been at it. He pulled at his disheveled dark hair in frustration and Minho slapped his hands away with a roll of his eyes.</p><p>The Airbender looked at the pitiful rivulet of smoke coming from the pile in front of him, while Minho combed his hair back in place gently.</p><p>"No fire, no breakfast."</p><p>Minho shrugged, going back to patiently wait with his arms crossed over his chest and Jisung groaned in despair.</p><p>"Meditation is always a good start. Close your eyes, empty your mind and try to visualize the element."</p><p>And Jisung followed Minho's instructions desperately, but not even a minute later he was giving it up already.</p><p>"You have to take this seriously or it's not going to work, Jisung. Close your eyes, visualize the element and tell me what you see."</p><p>"<em>You.</em>"</p><p>The Airbender said in the end with his eyes closed again, that was what he saw, when he thought of fire. Minho gasped silently and let the other explain further.</p><p>"Fire is... enticing and warm. The flames are pretty and hypnotizing, but if you get too close to it and you're not careful enough... you might burn yourself."</p><p>Jisung reopened his eyes and the Crown Prince was already staring guiltily back at him.</p><p>"I'm sorry about lying. I never meant to betray your trust, you have to believe me."</p><p>"I know. I believe you."</p><p>Jisung smiled tentatively at Minho. The latter shook his head trying to get himself back on track.</p><p>"Visualizing is not doing the trick for you. What about <em>feeling</em> it? Describe to me the other elements."</p><p>"Air is part of me, I don't think that I really need to feel it before bending it. Water is like a slow and calm stream, that's always there. It's presence is comforting. Earth is heavy, like weights at my feet that keep me grounded. And Fire..."</p><p>The Avatar seemed to stop to think more about the right words to choose to describe the element. </p><p>"Fire is... thicker than water, it streams in my veins like boiling lava that I don't know how to control. And it just burns intensively under my skin like... like love. Like <em>my</em> love for you."</p><p>Minho took Jisung's face in his small and delicate hands, framing it gently.</p><p>"I love you too."</p><p>He said before sealing their lips together in a kiss. Their very first kiss. It was everything Jisung had imagined and so much more than that.</p><p>"Wow... I feel like I'm going to combust."</p><p>Jisung was looking a bit dazed still from the kiss, when Minho's gentle smile disappeared all of a sudden and the Firebender started to quickly pat Jisung arms alarmed. </p><p>The Avatar looked down and saw the sleeves of his tunic smoking as Minho put out the last flame on it.</p><p>"Careful or you're going to burn up for real!"</p><p>Minho half chuckled, now relived that Jisung wasn't in danger anymore. Jisung looked at the burnt fabric of his clothes and decided to give it a try.</p><p>He turned his hand with the palm facing up, between Minho and him, and with only a flick of his wrist a flame appeared on it. </p><p>The Fire Prince looked at the flame first and then back at him with a big bright smile on his face. Jisung moved on instinct, as if he was throwing an actual object in the direction of the camp fire. His hand was back to normal and the flames were now burning the pile.</p><p>"Jisung, I'm sorry to interrupt... but we have company."</p><p>Felix cleared his throat and nodded to the both of them to follow him. When they reached the camp where the others were waiting, they expected anything but this.</p><p>"What are <em>you</em> doing here?!"</p><p> The Avatar looked alarmed at his right, it was Minho who had spoken, putting himself protectingly in front of Jisung.</p><p>Chan looked guilty at the bandages on Minho's chest and the Fire Prince quickly knotted back in place his kimono. Hyunjin was at his side, avoiding eye contact with everyone.</p><p>"We're not here to fight. We came to warn you. The King is sending out his legions to bring the Avatar back and they are headed this way."</p><p>"Why should we believe you? You are with the enemy."</p><p>Changbin asked, pointing an accusing finger their way and Chan sagged his shoulders in defeat.</p><p>"We are on your side!"</p><p>Felix snorted at the desperate attempt of Hyunjin to defend both of them. If there was someone who could assess their sincerity, that was Minho. Jisung joined the Prince's side, resting a comforting hand on the small of his back.</p><p>"Why the sudden change of heart?"</p><p>"My <em>brother</em> once told me, that one shouldn't be afraid of standing for what is right... and I finally decided to listen. I'm sorry, Minho."</p><p>Chan said looking pointedly at Minho, both their eyes were glassy with unsheathed tears. Hyunjin was wiping at his face trying to look the most inconspicuously possible. </p><p>Minho took the couple of steps forward that were separating them and hugged Chan tightly, Hyunjin joined them too mumbling something that sounded a lot like "I'm sorry too" into Minho's shoulder.</p><p>"We are with you. Both of us."</p><p>Chan broke the hug between cousins to  nod to Jisung, who was still looking at Minho with heart eyes.</p><p>"The Earth Kingdom is moving its army against Capital City. And the Fire King wants to get the Avatar back before the new battle begins. So, the legions will probably be here by tomorrow morning, I'd say."</p><p>Hyunjin reasoned and looked at Jisung expectantly. The Airbender smiled tenderly when Minho got closer to him and held his hand tightly.</p><p>"Let them come, we'll be ready."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Aaaand that’s all folks!</p><p>Was it too... cringey? (I hope not)</p><p>Thank you to everyone who took the time to read this short story! Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments if you’d like!</p><p>Take care everyone! ♡</p><p><a href="https://mobile.twitter.com/lixsterr">Twitter</a> |  <a href="https://www.wattpad.com/user/lixsterr">Wattpad</a></p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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